Fighting Fire with Fire (eBook)

Brooke

‘Watch where you’re going lady!’ an angry voice yelled out through the open window of a passing car, the horn honking simultaneously.

Brooke hurriedly jumped back onto the pavement, raising her hand in way of apology. She then glanced behind her to see if the black Renault appeared to be following her still. There it was... about five cars back in the queue, which was now slowing down for the lights that had just flicked to orange.

Thank God for that, she thought as she tore across the street and disappeared down the wide staircase leading into Martin Place train station. There was no way the driver of the Renault could suddenly park on one of Sydney CBD’s main streets and chase her through this underground station and its affiliated shops. And, upon boarding her train a minute later, the pounding in her heart slowly started to return to normal.

She didn’t even know why the car had made her so anxious, aware that the driver belonged to the paparazzi and was most likely chasing her down for an interrogation on Ryan. She had seen this car with its personalised numberplates of BAZ001 before, parked outside Ryan’s house on several occasions, including that stressful morning when Ryan had flown to the States and his driveway had been swarming with paps.

But she wasn’t in the mood for them today – not that she was in the mood for them any day, not if they were hassling her over rumours on her love life - and she was desperate to get home by 6pm unscathed and unaffected by the media tonight, before her first ever concert tickets went on sale.

She travelled through the neighbouring stations of Kings Cross and Edgecliff and alighted at her destination of Bondi Junction, quickly locating her car which was parked nearby and drove the five minutes to her apartment, situated near Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach. With no time to appreciate the stunning view of the ocean out her living room window tonight, she flung her handbag onto the sofa and opened up her laptop.

Just three minutes until the ticket sales went live and she hurriedly called her sister to ensure she was ready on her laptop also, as they needed a screen large enough to view the venue map properly. Something which would prove difficult if they were purchasing the tickets on their iPhones. Tessa answered on the second ring and the sisters exchanged quick pleasantries before concentrating on the task at hand and, before they knew it, the time rolled past 5.59 and there were just seconds left to go.

‘Ten, nine, eight…’ Brooke counted nervously, in perfect timing with the ticking second-hand on her watch.

‘I’m hitting purchase right now. I hope I can get tickets close to the stage!’’ exclaimed Tessa excitedly.

Brooke did not respond to her sister immediately, combing her long golden-brown hair anxiously with her fingers. How many other people were currently poised over their iPads or laptops desperate to get tickets to Brooke Southgate’s first ever concert?

‘Oh, Ticketek’s freezing me out! I can’t even get on. That’s a good sign though, right? Doesn’t that happen when too many people are accessing a site at once?’ Then, pausing awkwardly, Tessa added, ‘or it could just be our bad reception here. I only have one bar at the moment.’

Brooke released a dramatic sigh and then laughed despite herself. ‘Yes, unfortunately I think it must be your awful wi-fi as I’m on the site now, came through easily. How I wish that the site had crashed because thousands of fans were desperate to see me live.’

‘Who are you buying tickets for anyway? Surely it being your show you can just give some tickets away - or doesn’t it work like that? I’ve always wondered actually…’ Tessa’s voice trailed off.

‘They’re for mum and dad and yes, I can secure a few free tickets, but I wanted to purchase some on the site myself to see how quickly the seats are filling up.’

‘And…?’ Tessa responded, a little anxiously. ‘Are they? Are you up to the seat allocation yet?’

When Brooke finally responded, her voice was trembling slightly. ‘Yes. The Sydney show is anyway. Not that the Enmore Theatre has a huge capacity but it’s only offering me seats closer to the back now. The dance floor seems to be nearly all sold out and most of the lounge section also. Oh, do you want me to grab a ticket for you, to sit with mum and dad? Is your site still frozen?’

‘Sure,’ laughed Tessa, ‘I’ve never been to a concert with the oldies, but I suppose if I was going to then it would be fun at yours. Can you grab a ticket for Matt also please, we’re meant to be going together? I’m sure he can handle sitting next to Bill and Jude for a few hours.’

‘Definitely put him next to you though, or dad if you have to. There could be nothing more painful - for Matt or anyone - than having to sit next to mum at my first concert, as much as I love her and know she’s my number one fan.’

‘Ah yes, I still have to remind her - each time I see her - not to harp on about you too much and that she does have two other amazing daughters. Even if they’re not quite so famous,’ joked Tessa, although somewhat truthfully.

‘All booked!’ Brooke exclaimed triumphantly. ‘You’re in seats P20 to P24 and actually, dear sis, until I won this record contract with Miall & Meyer, I believe it was you that mum was constantly gloating about. Being engaged - and now married obviously - to Matt Barlow, heir to the famous Barlow Racing Stables.’

‘Fabulous,’ responded Tessa, her voice heavy with sarcasm. ‘What an achievement, marrying into a wealthy family. Well done me.’

Brooke fell uncharacteristically silent. She knew that Matt’s family fame and fortune had nothing whatsoever to do with Tessa marrying Matt and she would hate for her sister to think she was implying otherwise. If anything, Matt’s fame would have most likely deterred Tessa from dating him, her elder sister constantly shying away from any form of attention or limelight that came her way.

Brooke voiced this now quickly. ‘I was just teasing, sorry. I know how much you hate all that stuff - being in the public eye, and that it had nothing to do with your falling for Matt!’

‘Speaking of one’s love life, how’s Ryan?’ Tessa quickly turned the conversation to Brooke, to a subject she knew her sister was always happy to indulge in. ‘I assume you’re missing him like crazy after his brief visit a few weeks back.’

Brooke sighed dramatically again. ‘That was such a glorious three days. I still can’t believe he flew all the way from L.A for just three nights and surprised me at your house, and yes, I’m now missing him madly! Oh… that reminds me, I’ve been meaning to ask you something about the weekend we were there. Early on the Sunday morning there was a low-flying chopper hanging around, hovering above your place and the property next door, mainly yours though. I didn’t think too much of it at the time, I was just soaking up every second with Ryan, but recently I’ve worried if it might have been the paps. If somehow they got wind of Ryan being back in Australia.’

‘The paparazzi? Surely not,’ responded Tessa in surprise. ‘We do occasionally have choppers flying above our place, but I never think anything of them. Do you really think it could have been the paps?’

‘I’m probably just being paranoid,’ replied Brooke slowly, ‘Especially as I just had one bothering me on the way home tonight, one which has chased Ryan constantly these past six months until he moved to LA. I can’t help but worry the media are still trying to catch us out, to prove we’re a couple. It’s seriously stressful trying to keep this relationship under wraps, even with him now living in America.’

‘Do you still need to, do you think? Keep the relationship a secret? The show ended five months ago. Couldn’t you declare publicly that you’re an item now, that it’s just developed, rather than during the show when…’ Tessa’s voice trailed off unconvincingly, but Brooke quickly filled in her unspoken words.

‘When we weren’t allowed to. When it was against the rules for a contestant to be involved with one of the judges.’

Tessa could hear the slight shrillness and anxiety in Brooke’s voice. She understood that her sister worried constantly about having broken the rules and whether she had been crowned the winner unfairly, despite the fact it was the audience at home who cast the majority of votes, especially for the final decision. Before she could reply though Brooke continued her rant.

‘I can’t change what we did now though, that we kissed twice while the show was filming, it’s just that I hate having to hide the truth. Some days a part of me just wants to confess to everything and if I lose my record deal over it all, well, so be it.’

‘Except you don’t want to lose your record deal, do you? You’ve dreamt of this career for twenty-five years,’ replied Tessa, before adding hastily, ‘but most importantly of all Brooke, you didn’t win unfairly. It wasn’t only Ryan who decided if you should proceed through to round two, and then three, and the...